The Erotic As Power By Audre Lorde

Most people group the term “erotic” with “pornographic;” however, civil rights activist and writer Audre Lorde argues people misconstrued the term over time and that it instead relates to an “inner power that leads to life fulfillment.” This is Lorde’s definition of the erotic and it comes from the excerpt “The Erotic as Power,” from her book Uses of the Erotic, where she writes about the true meaning of “the erotic.” Other empowering pieces also refer to the erotic, such as an excerpt from Elissa Washuta’s White Magic, called “My Heartbreak Workbook,” where she describes her struggles with finding fulfillment and filling her “hole,” as she names it. Lorde’s concept of “the erotic” especially helps illuminate Washuta’s “My Heartbreak Workbook”

Audre Lorde defines the erotic as the manifestation of one’s true feelings. While comparing the erotic to its counterpart, the pornographic, Lorde talks about how the erotic allows one to be in complete touch with their feelings, similar to how Washuta implies through her stories how the hole dictates the way she feels. Lorde explains how “the erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings” (Lorde 88). As she gives this flamboyant description of the erotic, Lorde amplifies the notion that people’s deepest feelings are more well expressed through it, especially those feelings that were not displayed before or that were drowned away. This concept by Lorde brings light to the way Washuta feels about her “hole” since she implies that the hole wants to take her pain away, in other words, manifest her inner happiness. An example of

As she elaborates on the erotic, Lorde explains that it is a “lens” through which one would look to see themselves and others with no filter. This new view would then empower them to change and become better. Similarly, Washuta eventually acknowledges that her hole is a means to empower her instead of a cavity into which she would stuff all her hurts. Washuta acknowledges this when she says: “I can see [the hole] isn’t a void—it’s a portal through which things can enter to make me strong” (Washuta 7). Before this, Washuta sees her hole as a void that needs to be filled by all means; however, at some point in her life, she changes her opinion on the hole, instead believing that it can make her stronger by allowing her to better express herself and to believe that she can be “complete” without the help of others. Washuta’s relationship with her “hole” can be more easily understood by looking at it through Lorde’s view of the erotic since she says that “our erotic knowledge empowers us, becomes a lens through which we scrutinize all aspects of our existence, forcing us to evaluate those aspects honestly in terms of their relative meaning within our lives” (Lorde 90). Lorde notes that as the erotic amplifies people’s feelings, it also allows them to have a more selective view on many aspects of their lives, leading them to filter the things they choose to or not do. During most of her essay, Washuta depicts herself trying to